My name is Naia (pronounced either Nay-a or Neye-a, like yay or like eye) I am I'm a starving artist in LA trying to keep my sanity. I do mostly freelance stuff and I'm always looking for people (even on DToid) to do fun projects with in entertainment. That can be either in theater, film, TV, or video games. I want to be like Kermit the Frog and be part of a group that entertains. I also love blue slimes, puppies and Sprinkles Cupcakes.

I've been playing computer and video games all my life. My dad's a programmer so we got an IBM PC very early on in the 80's. For Christmas in 1989 my parents surprised me with a Nintendo and it's been downhill ever since. I have/had an NES, gameboy (of all flavors) SNES, Sega Genesis, Sega Gamegear, Sega Saturn, PS1, PS2, PS3, Gamecube, DS, PSP, Wii, and 360. Whew!

I am a HUGE Dragon Quest Fan Girl. I did NOT buy an R4 to play Dragon Quest 4 in broken beta-english. I also do NOT play ROMs because I did NOT want to play Dragon Quest V and VI ten years ago in english, not knowing if I would ever see those games in the US. ROMS are bad :P Squenix can shit in a bag and if the bag has a cute slime on it, I'll buy it. I know it's a problem.

Also, Rydia is my hero.

I like games with colors in them aside from brown and black, even if most of the world calls those games "kiddy." Screw that! I play RPGs, Action/Adventure, Platformers, Puzzles, and Point-n-Click Adventure games. I will play fighters and shooters, but they have to be the right kind of game.

I'm such a nerd, I like to keep track of all the games I've completed in an excel file (it's around 300 something). Now that my backlog is out of control I have a word document for that too. My goal is to for once and for all eliminate the backlog, or at least keep it to a number in the single digits.

I have a lot of things to say about the game industry, it's something I care deeply about and love giving my opinions. I like to rant about shit. I'm here just to share what I have to say, in hopes someone is willing to listen. If I'm not here, I'm most likely wasting my life on IRC.

Also for the record, my Top 5 Games of All Time
1. Chrono Trigger
2. Final Fantasy 4
3. Super Mario 3
4. Dragon Quest 3
5. Phantasy Star 4

After a small amount of time off from talking about underrated games, I've come back to talk about the games that deserve a little extra love. While Nintendo was the king of platformers for the Nintendo and Super Nintendo, a small little company called Hudson made a series of platformers that revolved around Master Higgins and his quest to save.... um.... some hot chic?

The premise of the Adventure Island games were fairly simple: Master Higgins moved through various stages avoiding enemies, collecting fruit to add time to the clock. Various powerups include tomahawks, fireballs, skateboarding, and in the second game, our featured title dinosaurs.

The first Adventure Island game was much more difficult than its predecessors, and as a result the second game was a huge improvement. The difficulty was more balanced and the dinosaurs added some neat new options from the first title. With Higgins riding various dinosaurs, he could traverse over lava, destroy rocks and fly over chasms. It was a contemporary to Super Mario 3 and Super Mario World, and while not the same calibur is still a very entertaining game.

It may not have reached quite the acclaim as Mario's platformers because it was still more difficult for an 8-bit NES platformer. The introduction of dinosaurs came at a similar time to the birth of Yoshi in Super Mario World, and many gamers may have seen it as a cheap substitute. However, the game still moves quite well. Master Higgins acquires powerups in a way similar to Super Mario 3; he finds hidden rooms where he can access access powerups and store for later, which was one of my favorite things to Mario 3.

In a sea of platformers on the Nintendo it's hard to make note of the good ones. Everyone knows Mario, Zelda and Samus, but how many people know Master Higgins? It may be a bit more challenging, and may borrow a few things from the plumber, but it's still entertaining. It hasn't hit virtual console yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did one day. Otherwise give it a try if you have an NES.